Editorial: Kansas should revisit guns on campus

Four years ago, the Kansas Legislature decided that state universities and colleges would be safer if people were allowed to carry firearms on campus.

Fortunately, a temporary exemption allowed universities to stave off compliance. But with a July deadline for campuses to comply looming, a showdown is on the horizon.

Now is the time for lawmakers to revisit the issue and heed the guidance of universities that don’t want concealed handguns on their campuses. So far, legitimate concerns voiced by those directly affected by this law — administrators, faculty, students and parents — appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

The Kansas Board of Regents, which governs the state’s six public universities and dozens of other community colleges and technical schools, has taken on this challenge with great tenacity, holding listening sessions and carefully crafting new policies. But the legislators failed to respect the wishes and wisdom of the people who must live with the consequences of the law.

Polling of faculty and students has consistently shown widespread opposition to guns on campuses. Professors worry that a student upset by a grade could become a lethal threat. Resident assistants shudder to consider trying to manage routine disputes between students when someone might be armed.

Student body organizations have wisely raised the prospect of increased suicides as the stresses of the college years mix with alcohol and ready access to a handgun.

The University of Kansas Hospital could face the possibility of trying to protect immobile patients, ailing seniors, pregnant women and children from the threat of an armed intruder, or a shootout.

The latest to join the voices of concern is the new president of Kansas State University, retired Gen. Richard B. Myers. Myers was the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, so one would assume that he knows a bit about weaponry and firearms safety. Myers has said he’s especially concerned about guns on campus in light of the Legislature’s decision to double down, further loosening gun laws.

In 2015, lawmakers passed legislation allowing anyone who can lawfully own a gun to carry it loaded and hidden without a concealed-carry permit or training. Soldiers, Myers has noted, are trained before being allowed access to firearms. And it’s unlikely that a civilian, especially one without much practice, can be the marksman savior in an intense situation with an armed intruder.

Myers’ comments undercut the arguments in favor of the original bill. It was deceptively named the Kansas Personal and Family Protection Act. Safety was the stated concern. The rationale behind it was the mantra that a good guy with a gun is the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun. The fact that an increased number of guns also can lead to more accidents, innocent people being shot and suicides doesn’t receive the same attention afforded snappy slogans.

Legislators who passed this law held onto a discredited belief that gun-free zones invite someone with ill intent. The theory centers on the notion that people choose places to commit mass shootings based on where they might be least likely to be stopped by armed security.

Multiple studies have found that it’s a myth.

There is still time for Kansas lawmakers to correct the mistake made by their predecessors.

A bill was introduced last week to exempt universities and colleges from complying. The measure is backed by Overland Park Republican Rep. Stephanie Clayton, Wichita Democratic Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau and Mission Hills Republican Sen. Barbara Bollier.

The Legislature should seize the opportunity to reopen dialogue and allow the Regents to take the lead in determining what is best for the campuses under their watch.

This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Editorial: Kansas should revisit guns on campus."